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Method and apparatus for following a vehicle

  • US 5,257,022 A
  • Filed: 03/18/1991
  • Issued: 10/26/1993
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for following a vehicle comprising the steps of:

  • successively sensing and generating images of objects including a preceding vehicle ahead of a trailing vehicle from each of two different points;

    measuring a distance to the preceding vehicle based on the images generated from the two points;

    determining, based on the measured distance, a size of an image-following window to be set within a screen of a display used for following the preceding vehicle;

    finding the image of the preceding vehicle among various images of objects displayed on the screen and setting a position of the window on the screen so as to contain therein the image of the preceding vehicle;

    temporarily storing the thus set window in a memory;

    detecting, from various images of objects generated from one of the two points, a new image of an object which most resembles the image of the preceding vehicle in a previous window stored in the memory, and setting, based on the new image, a new window containing the new image on the screen;

    adjusting the position of the new window to a location at which the best symmetry of the image within the new window is obtained while shifting the window stepwise; and

    repeating all the above steps.

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